Tartan Hand Warmers

DIY Hand Warmers Help Beat Old Man Winter

Hand warmers can be made out of any type of flannel, high quality felt or polar fleece material scraps you have laying around. These are so handy to have available when the brutal winter months cascade down on us. They also make easy and very welcomed Christmas presents.a

a I think they make really cute little gifts for stockings or the friends of your teenage girls. Everyone likes to keep warm. They cost next to nothing to make and take about 10 minutes. All you need is scrap material and pearl barley, or rice.

Tie the hand warmers up with a pretty ribbon, and for the top of a Christmas stocking. They are also perfect small gifts for teachers, or how about having a basket of them by the front door for guests.

Directions for DIY Hand Warmers

To make one hand warmer.

Take any scrap of material and cut into two 4 ” squares.

Pin the good sides together and sew all around the edges leaving a 1″ gap open for stuffing.

Do this again in a Zig Zag stitch as close to the edge as you can. (A double seam is nice to avoid barley leaking out)

Turn right side out and iron.

With a funnel add about 1/3 of a cup of pearl barley. Once it is as full as you want it, sew the open portion closed.

Repeat for the second hand warmer.a

aWarming the Hand Warmer

Heat with a microwave in 30-second intervals, once it is warm (not hot) place it in your pocket.

Caution: Don’t put this on for a couple of minutes and leave. Barley is a natural product so I suspect it can burn if left too long.a

a It’s cold here already. These little bundles are already proving handy for frozen fingers. Hand made gifts are always a special treat.

Leanna, these are adorable. They would make great gifts for anyone on your list. As I type this the heat just kicked on. Our warm November turned into winter over night. I think I need a whole basket full of these, I would sneak them under the covers to warm the bed!

Oh that’s really exciting. I have not been posting to your party for very long. Its really nice to make new contacts and read different bloggers submissions. I will absolutely be dropping by tomorrow. This is great news!

Hi Kati: As you are so creative I am certain you have all kinds of tidbits of material leftovers. These only take a few minutes to whip up and warm those hands. If I get organized I want to make a basket full of them for company to take away as small gifts when they leave. That is a mighty big IF though.

Hi Kimm: I really enjoy Funtastic Friday. Imagine these in buffalo plaid or sewn in work socks. They would be seriously “manly” for your brother in law. I bet everyone hopes you draw their name in the home made gift exchange.

Hi Clarissa: I like these little warmers. Its even better when I didn’t have to buy anything to make them. Thankfully it hasn’t gotten cold here yet, soon though very soon. Thanks for commenting. Leanna

Hi Sarah. These take just a few minutes. Cut, stitch, stuff and your done. My hands freeze all the time, my hubs new truck has a heater steering wheel, sadly my older car does Not. Thanks for commenting. Leanna

Funny you should mention putting some in bed. I of course made some for my grand daughters hands and their mom suggested making something a bit bigger for their feet. I may make them something if I get the time. Thanks for commenting. I enjoy the feedback.

Hello Mo: I think they are, I remember buying these chemical hand warmers you use to shake to start. it was really cold so I put on in the babies bunting and it got too hot and gave him a burn. I never trusted them again. These are natural and they won’t get hotter after you remove them from the microwave.

What a good idea, Leanna! I was thinking you could put them in your boots after warming them, then take them out in a couple of minutes and put your warmed boots on. Can you tell that my feet are always cold?

Welcome. Happy your here!

My name is Leanna. I live too far north in Edmonton, Canada. Although I never dreamed decades of single parenting would develop into blogging. I love creating DIY tutorials and crafts to encourage others that you don't have to be rich to have a really pretty home. Read more of my story

Click for pretty DIY ideas in your inbox

Copyright

Feel free to share my post and one picture with a link back to my original post. Please do not remove watermarks, crop or edit my pictures without prior approval. All printables are for personal use only. More information is available on my terms of use page.